The Minister of Culture and Knowledge Development, Noura Bint Mohammed Al Kaabi, affirmed the UAE’s commitment to support the new vision and strategy of the Islamic World Organization for Education, Science and Culture (ISESCO), to consolidate the organization’s status as a beacon, and an effective platform for joint Islamic action in the cultural, scientific and educational fields.

She expressed the hope that the meetings of the 40th session of the organization’s Executive Council, which started yesterday morning, at the Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Center, will end today, beginning with a new, more sustainable phase towards joint action that unites the efforts of member states and enhances the presence of the cultures and arts of their peoples on the international scene.

The Minister of Culture and Knowledge Development, during her speech at the opening session, stated that “cultural and creative industries have become one of the fastest growing industries and the most active in terms of productivity and economic returns, and provide job opportunities for young people to improve the quality of life. It has been proven through global experiences that it is a sustainable development option that comes from Human creativity, which is characterized by renewal, vitality and innovation.

She added: “We have the capabilities, cadres and qualifications necessary to formulate an integrated system that supports cultural and creative industries and creates a strong competitive economy.” Noting that the Islamic world is going through historical transformations in all aspects of life, in order to keep pace with changes, and adopt innovative solutions that look to the future, and meet the needs of our societies, And it creates a better future, by establishing a culture of dialogue among civilizations, and highlighting the Islamic vision towards contemporary issues.

Emirati contributions

Al-Kaabi reviewed part of the UAE's contributions in this field, based on the state’s belief that investing in future generations, and providing them with future tools is a prerequisite for achieving effective and sustainable cultural development.

She said: «The Emirates has been keen to provide free educational platforms for individuals interested in developing their digital skills, as it launched last week the largest global project for teaching programming targeting five million young people in 50 countries around the world. The (Arab Reading Challenge) has also become a source of inspiration for millions of students around the world, as the last session attracted 13.5 million students from 49 countries. "We need hundreds of initiatives such as the Arab Reading Challenge, the translation challenge, a school, and other initiatives that develop self-learning skills, analytical thinking, and broadening student perceptions."

Projects

For his part, Director General of the Islamic World Organization for Education, Science and Culture "ISESCO", Dr. Salem bin Muhammad Al-Malik, revealed 11 new initiatives during the session, indicating that they stem from the vision of the new forward-looking organization, and will be presented to the Executive Council, during the existing meetings in Abu Dhabi To give an opinion on it.

Among the most prominent initiatives are strengthening the roles of the National Committees for Education, Science and Culture, and providing more support for their trustees and employees, and using them to define precisely the needs of Member States, and in planning programs that are most responsive to their priorities.

In addition to an initiative represented in the project of changing the name from the Islamic Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization to the Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, to raise common confusion about the nature of its non-advocacy tasks, and to open wider horizons for its presence at the international level.

The initiatives also included a project to amend ISESCO's charter, regulations, and organizational structure, in line with the new vision, with the creation of a legal administration that would control the organization's working procedures within the framework of a human rights and institutional approach. The initiatives also presented the project of the International Consultative Council, which it is hoped will achieve for the organization a wider openness to the international environment and greater ability to reach decision makers.

the first lady

For her part, Lalla Malika Isufo, First Lady of the Republic of Niger, thanked the UAE for the hospitality, and for “ISESCO” for choosing the guest of honor of these meetings, which constitute a crucial turning point in the organization’s march, and its contribution in cooperation with the State of Niger in sustainable development, and preserving Islamic heritage, support for cultural diversity, science development and support for the most vulnerable.

She added that «girls’ education is at the forefront of the Niger’s state, as statistics show that among the 100 girls studying in the primary stage, there are only five girls who reach the secondary level, which prompted the government to adopt a law that requires families to complete the education of their girls, so education is the key to life, which is the means To achieve cultural diversity, while incorporating Islamic principles that call for peace and solidarity in educational curricula. ”

Strategic plan

The meeting of the 40th session of ISESCO Executive Council marks the beginning of a new and more sustainable phase, according to the Director General of the Organization, Dr. Salem bin Muhammad Al-Malik, as it coincides with the launch of the revised strategic plan for the years 2020-2030, and the revised plan of action for the years 2020-2021, so that the organization is a proactive institution. Strategic and systematic planning, and a home for international expertise and global excellence, working on building advanced systems and making enlightened minds, empowering women, localizing technology and encouraging creativity and innovation, and dismantling the discourse of extremism and sectarianism.

Name change

The Executive Council of the Islamic Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ISESCO) approved the change of the organization's name to the Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ISESCO).

ISESCO Director General, Dr. Salem bin Muhammad Al-Malik, said that changing the organization's name aims to remove the common ambiguity about the nature of its non-advocacy tasks, and open wider horizons for its presence at the international level. He explained that the new name is an accurate expression of the nature of the civilizational mission that the organization promotes in its fields of education, science, culture and communication, and the goals and objectives that it aims to achieve.